


Falling in a Forest

by Betery



Category: Dear Evan Hansen - Pasek & Paul/Levenson
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Connor has problems, Evan has problems, Fluff, For forever references and a LOT of them, Gen, Suicidal Thoughts, Suicide Attempt, slight angst, tree boy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-26
Updated: 2017-06-26
Packaged: 2018-11-19 03:47:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,688
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11305047
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Betery/pseuds/Betery
Summary: If you fall in a forest and nobody's around, do you even make a sound? Well, Evan won't have to think on that too long, cause someone has already found him and he doesn't seem really keen on leaving him alone.





	Falling in a Forest

**Author's Note:**

> I had this idea stuck in my head. I hope you enjoy!

The workday was starting to end, and Evan felt like he was going to die and melt into many many pieces. Not even the trees around him set him at ease. Maybe, maybe going to the top of a tree would help, see the horizon and the sights of the forest. Hear the sounds, feel the breeze. He looked around for the right tree, he wanted the view to be good after all.

  
After a few minutes of looking, the perfect tree stood before him like a gift: the tallest tree in the forest, standing tall above everything else. A tree that was there practically saying ‘I’m here, you can’t ignore me’; so Evan climbed it, grabbing onto the first branch and then to the next and up and up and up until the branches were getting so fragile they could barely hold his weight.

  
The pounding of his heart cut through the numbness in his soul, had he remembered to take his medicine that morning? It didn’t matter anyway, even if he had nothing and no one could have stopped him from climbing up here. No one would stop him, not like they would try. His mom was always busy and even if Evan had reminded her, she could forget to bag her shift and not even come, and Jared would just egg him on. _‘come on Evan, you’re not brave enough to let go. Some family friend you are’_

  
At least he wouldn’t interrupt school if he died from this height. He had to be 20..no, 30 feet up right? Was that high enough to kill someone? He didn’t know. But maybe. Maybe it was. He looked over the horizon at the treetops, the sun shining through the clouds. It was kinda nice, for a last moment. So Evan leaned forward, closing his eyes, and let go.

  
\--

  
They say that when you die, your life flashes before your eyes and as Evan fell he certainly thought about all of his life’s choices but it wasn’t anything great. Or spectacular. Just one cowardly act after another. Too afraid to order pizza so he wouldn’t eat. Too afraid to talk to the teacher after class about extra credit so he studied till his eyes became blurry. Too afraid to stand up for himself when he got pushed around by Jared or pretty much anyone else.

  
As he fell there was a moment he worried he would never hit the ground- but then he hit the first branch on the way down and it _hurt_ was dying supposed to hurt? Fear flared in his chest and he cried out as he hit another branch, and another and then he finally _finally_ hit the ground, and Evan felt something crack, his arm flared and throbbed like it burned he couldn’t even move it.and this time he DID scream, or squeak? Was anyone there? Would anyone find him? Maybe he would just wait here. For someone to come. Maybe someone heard him. Yeah.

  
\--

**Connor:**

  
Trees. That’s all this park literally had to offer. Trees, trees, and more TREES. Connor glared at one of the bark covered plants. He wouldn’t even be here if his mom hadn't wanted to do some ‘bonding’ over the summer and come to this forsaken place. So what did Connor do? Promptly slip away from them to explore the deep dark depths of this place, hell…maybe, mom, dad and Zoe will even have a good time without him there to ruin in.

  
However, there was one problem: Connor had no idea how to get back to the campsite. Not a good idea on his part. Connor was about to break out his phone to see if he had a reception but then there was a crash and a SCREAM, it sounded pained and scared and oh crap what the hell just happened? Where did it even come from?

  
“UH, hello?” He called out, hunching his shoulder and walking the direction of the sound. What the hell was someone doing falling in the forest anyway?

  
“Help?” Someone weakly coughs out and Connor beelines in the direction of the sound.

  
“Okay, I uh, I don’t know where you are, can you like- talk or something so I can hear you and get to where you are?”

  
“T-talk?” The voice squeaks out. “Wh- what do you want me to say? What if I say something wrong? WhatifIsaysomethingsoannoyingyou’lljustleavemeherewithabrokenarm. I-i- I at least think I have a broken arm, who wouldn’t have a broken arm after falling from that height? I mean pathetic right? Wait, are you still here? Hello?”

  
Connor all the meanwhile was following the voice and steadily as he got closer the voice was becoming more and more familiar to him. The tree’s opened up to a small clearing and there was the poor sap that fell.

  
“Hansen?” Connor bit out and jogged to the guy’s side. Looking him over. Evan Hansen in the flesh with cuts bruises and ouch, an arm should not look like that.

  
“C-Connor? Connor M-mmurphy?” Hansen stuttered out and his face was pale. Oh man, that was not good.

  
“Yeah, it’s me. Crazy psychopath that threw the printer in second grade.” He supplied tried to think about what the hell someone was supposed to do in this situation. “Uh, give me your good arm, we need to try and get you someplace uh, away from here.”

  
Connor gave a shaky and practically hysterical laugh, “S-sure, Sure I can-can do that no problem I mean, someone actually heard me fall? And was worried? I mean, I never really expected but I sure HOPEd someone heard but- but you- in all the unlikely things in the world YOU heard me-“

  
“You’re rambling.” Connor interrupted and he heard Hansen’s mouth shut with a click and stutter of ‘sorry’.

  
“It’s fine, but I’m gonna need you to actually walk with me, and tell me where to go cause I don’t know my way around here.”Evan nodded his forehead sheening with sweat and a little

 

Evan nodded his forehead sheening with sweat and a little bit of blood. “Uh, sure, sure Uh- just. Uh, head west and there should be a trail, along that trail go uh..north? and in like 10 minutes we should reach a ranger's cabin.”

  
“Sure.” Connor muttered, “Which ways west?”

  
Connor was silent, and Evan was silent, waiting for one or the other to answer. But then they just laughed. They were both lost in a forest it was totally alone. What the hell kind of situation was this?

  
Eventually, Connor had to take out his phone to use the compass on it and they eventually got to the Rangers' cabin, from there it was a quick drive to the hospital and an awkward call to his parents. ‘Yes I’m safe, no I didn’t go to smoke pot, I’m at the hospital, no I didn’t PUT myself there, a friend fell out of a tree and I helped him out- No I didn’t PUSH him out of the tree what the FUCK? Just- Jesus you fuckers think I’m that crazy? The ranger who drove us here offered to drive me back so you can just STAY there and have fun while I stay here, away from YOU!’ and he hung up the phone. Sometimes he wished he had one of those old flip phones, the ones that clacked when you closed them. Then again, he might have snapped the phone in half in a rage like this.

  
“C-c-c-Connor?”

  
“WHAT?” Connor snapped at Hansen and his skittish face, the face that flinched and hunched his shoulders, trying to make himself smaller.

  
“I-i-I’m sorry I caused so much trouble, you can just go I—i- I can call my mom and she can pick me up, I’m sure Daisy can- can take you back cause your parents seemed worried about you-“

  
“Hansen.” Connor tried,

  
“And I know if MY mom was worried I certainly would-“

  
“Hansen.” Connor tried again,

  
“But then again she might me b-busy which would leave me Jared and Jared would just LAUGH and think my situation is just-“

  
“HANSEN.” Connor raised his voice and Evan squeaked out a ‘sorry’. Connor sighed.

  
“Seriously, Hansen. Stop overthinking things, it’s no big deal.”

  
“Sorry,” Evan says again, fiddling with his shirt.

 

“You don’t have to apologize all the time.”

 

“I’m sorry.” Evan squeaks again, his shoulders hunched and face flushing. Oh god, help this idiot.

 

Connor chuckled and slumped back into his chair, “If I accept your apology will you stop apologizing?”

 

“I-I don’t…know?” Evan frowns. “No one has uh, ever accepted one of my relentless apology sessions before.” Evan’s fiddling got a little more excited as he wrapped and unwrapped his fingers in the shirt.

 

“Well, I accept your apology.” He says softly looking up at the ceiling.

\--

**Evan POV:**

The doctor fixed up Evan’s arm, giving him a cast and everything. ‘what color do you want your cast to be?’ ‘uh- wh-white’s fine’ Oh god was he sweating? For sure he was sweating his sweaty hands were gonna ruin the cast and they were gonna have to re-do it and would they just add that onto his bill? Oh god didn’t they make patients pay for these rooms by the hour how on earth was his mom gonna pay for-

  
A hand landed on his shoulder. “Hansen. Relax. It’ll be okay, it’s just a cast. For your arm. Not _cast_ ration okay?” Evan blinked widely and stared at Connor Murphy his mouth dropped open just a bit. Did Connor Murphy, THE Connor Murphy just…joke with him? Evan.exe frozen, reboot in…

  
“And, done.” The doctor announced. “The nurse will tell you what you can and can’t do with the cast while we wait for this to set. I’ll come back in about 10-15 minutes.”

  
“T-thanks.” Evan squeaks far too late as he can’t even see the tailcoat of the doctor anymore.

  
A few moments tick by in silence, and Connor gets out his phone, typing his password in, and looking at one thing or another. Probably on social media. “What were you even doing up in that tree Hansen?” He asked without looking up, the blue from his phone illuminated the bags under his eyes.

  
“I-I was climbing it.” Not a lie.

  
Connor rolls his eyes. “Yeah, but why?” Evan froze. He felt himself get clammy, his hands were sweating, even more, his breath was starting to quicken- and that hand returned.

  
“Geezus dude, you need to calm down no matter your reason it was your own. I won’t tell the docs anything. Cause according to these sites I’m looking at falling out of a fucking tree in the middle of the goddamn forest raises a hella ton of red flags.”

Evan flushed from head to toe and the rims of his eyes burned.

“I-I-“

  
Connor sighed and ran his hand through his hair. “Shit, what am I even saying? Until you, everything about my life sucked.”

  
What did that mean? Oh god, Connor was giving him a look, did he say that out loud? Connor snorted. Oh no, he was thinking about loud again wasn’t he what if-

  
“Calm the fuck down. Take a breath. Think of your favorite thing or whatever. Until you fell out of that fucking tree I didn’t feel like I mattered. But well, if a guy like me can help a guy like you out…maybe there’s hope.”

  
Oh. Did. Did that mean what Evan thought it meant? Or was he just over-reading the situation again?

  
\--

  
Evan got out of the hospital two hours later and a ride back to the forest where Evan’s mom should be waiting to pick him up. Connor had taken Evan’s phone and put his number in it without asking cause ‘a guy like you can’t be trusted to text first’ which was true. He was way too much of a nervous wreck.

  
When he got home that night his mother did all the motherly things she good, even kissed his forehead and sent him to bed. Evan was looking at his phone that was on his desk, what was going to happen now that Connor Murphy’s number was in it?

His phone buzzed.

  
Oh god. What did it say? The message? Was it just a notification? Was it Conor? Or Jared? Maybe just from junk mail….

  
Evan carefully flipped his phone over to look at the illuminated screen, and it has a message from Connor.

 

 

 

> **Night Hansen. Don’t fall out of a tree before I wake up.**

  
Evan giggled and clutched the phone to his chest. Things were starting to look up. Somehow, in some twisted way...Evan had gained a friend!

  
\--

**Connor Murphy POV:**

  
Things were not looking up. His parents were riding his ass and it sucked like HELL because ‘did you really save a kid? We should invite him for dinner, did you push him, why did you even separate from us?’ Coming from three different people at the same time only grated at what little self-control he had.

  
Connor had shoved his way into his room when they finally got there he flopped onto the mattress and looked at his phone, there were three texts of Evan.

 

 

 

>   
>  **Hansen: Morning.  
>  ****Hansen: Ohgosh you’re asleep aren’t you??? O,-,O**
> 
>   
>  **Hansen: I, uh…would you be-leaf me if I sent this tree pic as an apology?**  

  
And below was the picture of a tree where it had knots in it that made it look very very tired. Oh god. Connor chuckled and then those chuckled turned into cackled, this nerd was gonna be the end of him!!

 

 

 

> **Murphy: There’s nothing to apologize for you nerd, but your pic cheered me up a bit. I was in a rancid mood before.**
> 
> **Hansen: Thanks. I searched for that picture for three hours to send to you.**  
>  **Hansen: I mean, not because I thought it would get you to like me better**  
>  **Hansen: But I thought, maybe it wouldn’t be weird?**  
>  **Hansen: Oh god I’m making it weird**
> 
> **Murphy: Take a breath tree-boy it’s not the end of the world.**
> 
> **Hansen: It isn’t? Good. I- I would’ve felt bad if one of my anxiety bursts ended the world.**

Connor snorted, leaning back against his pillows. God this kid had so many problems, not that he didn’t have any of his own. And right on cue, there was a slamming of a door.

“We have to do SOMETHING about him!” Larry yelled at his mom.

“Can’t we cut him a break? He just helped a kid yesterday!”

“We don’t even know if he’s telling us the truth! It wouldn’t be the first time he lied to us so he could get high!”

“LARRY.”

Connor growled, that fucker was ALWAYS thinking he was lying! He wanted to THINK he was high, might as well GET high! Connor grabbed the shoe box from under his bed and started digging through it for his stuff when his phone chimed again.

 

 

 

> **Hansen: do you wanna…hang out or something?**

Connor held his phone so hard he was sure he nearly cracked the screen.

 

 

 

> **Murphy: Not the time.**
> 
> **Hansen: oh.**

Goddammit, why couldn’t Connor just do something RIGHT for a change?? Now Hansen thought he hated him!! Connor threw the shoe box back under the bed and grabbed his pillow and hurled it against the wall. He didn’t have anything breakable left in here to throw, and he couldn’t throw his phone cause it’s not like Larry would let Connors mom pay for another one this month.

 

 

 

> **Murphy: Goddamnit it’s not about you. Larry is just being a fucker is all.**
> 
> **Hansen: Oh. Okay? Sorry to interrupt.**

Connor sighed and sat on the edge of his bed. Thinking hard about what to do about this skittish kid.

 

 

 

> **Murphy: Hansen. Do you wanna grab a scoop at A La Mode?**

It was a few minutes before Hansen responded.

 

 

 

> **Hansen: Uh, sure? But…you’re gonna have to order for me.**

Odd request but that was fine.

 

 

 

> **Murphy: Send me your address, I’ll be there asap.**

 

**Author's Note:**

> I also may have used my own experiences with the 'sorry' bit. I literally get in endless loops of apologizing it's difficult to stop. 
> 
> So uh...this is where I planned to end it? I have like, one more idea for this story but I couldn't really figure out how to fit it in. If say, people wanted little snippets of what happened next I would be glad to do so! Just let me know down in the comments :)
> 
> Remember to Coments and Kudos darlings~


End file.
